


The Rock Prank

by AnonymousSong, lily_winterwood



Series: The Quest for Erebor [5]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Deleted Scene, Fluff, Hobbit Liveblogs, M/M, anunexpectedanniversary, thorin is a nerd but what's new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 18:55:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6670885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymousSong/pseuds/AnonymousSong, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lily_winterwood/pseuds/lily_winterwood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had started as an attempt to an apology. </p><p>Deleted scene from the Hobbit liveblogs found on Tumblr for the anniversary of the party at Bilbo's house. Written for the Unexpected Anniversary on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Rock Prank

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [ExiledDurin](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/193012) by AnonymousSong. 



It had started as an attempt to an apology. 

We had been stuck in Rivendell for only a few days and I had taken to wandering around the land in search of something to occupy my time. The river had drawn my attention, especially given that the company had finally finished cleaning themselves and their travel stained clothes. The water ran clear, reflecting the light of the sun.

I sat at the water’s edge for a time, thinking on the quest that we were on and what was waiting for us at the end. I had begun to dwell on the memory of dragon fire and the ever present fear that the quest was to end in death. But I was shaken out of my dark thoughts by a particularly bright glint from the water.

I tracked the source and found a green rock that looked to be jade. It was smoothed by the water and the dark green of grass found at the end of summer. I was reminded of Bilbo, as the color was similar to the grass that had grown atop his home and, though I had not admitted it to myself then, it reminded me of his eyes.

We had not found much to agree on in the quest thus far, our differences causing misunderstandings when our similarities brought us together. But, despite my hesitance to admit it, Rivendell had granted the company some peace and I thought that it would be for the best that peace be found between Bilbo and I as well.

I brought the rock to his room to give to him, though when I knocked at his door, there was no answer. I found the door to be unlocked and placed the rock on the small table by his bed for him to find when he returned. Quietly shutting the door behind me, I exited quickly and continued with my day.

However, the next day, when I returned to the river, more rocks caught my eye in the water. When I began to look, I could see that there was quite a number of them sitting at the bottom. I picked up several more that I thought were pleasing and went to Bilbo’s room. I wished to know if he had liked the jade from the day before.

But he was once again absent from his room. The door had been left open and I entered as I had done before. The jade was still on the table, though moved, as if Bilbo had picked it up and then set it back down again. I arranged the rocks that I had found that day around the jade before taking my leave.

This pattern continued for several days; I would find different rocks of various shades, some no bigger than a pebble, some taking up my entire palm. Each day, Bilbo was absent from his room when I knocked and I had begun to wonder if he somehow knew when I was approaching and left on purpose so as to avoid me.

But I left the rocks all the same, the collection steadily growing. There were quickly too many to fit on the table and, in a spirit of mischief, I placed them atop other parts of the room, such as the bed and the shelf of books. Somehow, I had deviated from the simple apology to the sort of prank that my nanaddan would play. Yet, I had grown too amused by it to stop. 

Eventually, I was found out. Bilbo caught me in his room one day, probably because I had just finished setting down the largest collection of rocks I had gathered and it had taken me quite a while to find places for them all. His cheeks and ears were red and I feared it to be in anger.

“So it _was_ you doing this,” he had said.

I admitted to it, as there was no way nor reason to deny it. I said my hope that I had not upset him.

Bilbo shook his head, clearing his throat a few times. He picked up one of the new rocks placed at the foot of his bed. “They’re all quite lovely actually. I didn’t know that they came in so many shades.”

I asked how he had known that I was the one placing them within his room. “It wasn’t too difficult to figure out, actually. I’ve seen you splashing about in the river several times with rocks in hand,” he’d said and we shared a laugh.

After a beat of silence, Bilbo placed the rock down and drew himself up. “Was all of this a… well, um… Are you trying to…” He stumbled over his words for a few more moments before waving his hands, as if dispelling the unfinished sentences hanging in the air. “Just, well, thank you, Thorin.”

I had never been thanked for a prank before but bowed my head nonetheless. Hopefully he had just taken it as the apology that it had originally been intended to be. 

I stepped forward with the last rock that I had collected that day and pressed it into his hand, my fingers ghosting over his. The red spread more so across his face and I had wished him a good day. 

In the kitchens the next morning, I had found a specially prepared plate of breakfast set aside. It had a small card with my name on it, written in what I recognized to be Bilbo’s writing.

Peace seemed to have been found between us after all.


End file.
